Heat of Summer
by Captain-Spangled
Summary: Just a little Mini Series set during the summer between Twilight and New Moon. Get to know Alex a little better as she interacts with Jacob and his friends, the Cullen's, and other things like celebrating her seventeenth birthday.
1. June

**HEAT OF SUMMER: JUNE**

**NICE TO MEET YOU::**

School had only been out for a few weeks now and I was already bored out of my mind. Leslie's mom had forced her to get a summer job so now she spent most of her time working at the grocery store. It sucked because I couldn't take being by myself all the time. I was too much like my mom in that way. Currently, I was lying on the couch and staring blankly up at the ceiling, periodically groaning loudly for as long as I could without running out of breath. I was just starting my sixth groan when Charlie seemed to have had enough.

"Girl, can't you see I am trying to watch the game?" He asked, leaning over the side of his armchair to look down at me briefly.

"I can't help it, I'm so bored." I replied over dramatically.

"Well, go be bored somewhere else." When I didn't make any move to get up from the couch he sighed. "Well, if you're going to stay here then you might as well watch the game with me."

I turned to look briefly at the TV screen before returning my gaze to the ceiling. "Why bother? It's going to be over with soon anyway."

The match up wasn't that great. One of the teams was far better than the other and was winning ten to one. What was the point of watching the game when I already knew how it was going to end?

"Well, why don't you, I don't know, go a read a book?" He suggested.

Slowly, I flipped myself over so that I was now on my stomach. My arms were folded on top of the armrest and my chin sat on top of them so that I was now looking at my dad. He was starting to know me so well. Watching baseball with him, reading a book, he already knew about Leslie being at work or else I'm sure he would have suggested I do something with her as well.

"I would…but I'm just not ready after the last one I finished." I said. And it was true, the last book I had read ended in such a way that left me mentally hung over. I couldn't read another book so soon when the old one was still fresh in my mind. It wouldn't be fair to the new book.

"Why don't you go to La Push then?" Charlie prayed his daughter would leave him to finish his game in peace, even if it was going to be a blowout.

My eyes squinted slightly as I thought about it. It had been a while since I've last seen Jacob. Every now and then we would send a few texts back and forth but that was about it. I smiled at Charlie and nodded my head.

"Good idea. Thanks, Dad." I said, pushing myself up from the couch and heading upstairs quickly to throw on a pair of shoes.

"Drive safe." Charlie called as I came back downstairs and grabbed the truck keys from the kitchen. Because Bella spent most of her time attached to Edward's hip, and he had his shiny Volvo to drive around in, the truck was more or less mine now.

"I will, see you later." I called back, opening the door and running over to my truck so as not to get too wet. Like most days, it was raining, but instead of being cold, the few drops that landed on my skin actually felt nice.

It took me almost a half hour to get to the Black's small house in La Push due to the rain and the fact that my truck didn't go faster than forty because of the weather. When I finally made it to the red house next to the woods, a large smile appeared on my face. Parking off to the side, I turned off the truck before hurrying up the ramp and knocking on the door. I waited for a few seconds before Billy pulled open the door, a look of surprise on his face.

"Alex, what brings you out here?" He asked, moving aside so I could walk into the house and out of the rain.

"Oh, I was bored at home and Charlie was nice enough to suggest I come bother you guys so he could finish watching the game." I told him, causing him to laugh.

"Well wasn't that was nice of him." He said with a shake of his head. "Jacob's out back in the garage with a couple of his friends."

I smiled at him. "Dumping me off on your son, huh?" I chuckled. He shrugged his shoulders playfully. "Bye, Billy."

Waving, I ventured back outside into the rain and ran from the house to the garage. Loud music met my ears as I pulled open the door and stepped into the warm garage. Three dark heads snapped towards me, eyes wide.

"Hey guys." I said, waving slightly before pulling off my beanie to ruffle my now slightly damp hair.

"Alex?" Jacob asked, the same surprised look on his face that his dad had worn only minutes ago. "What are you doing here?"

I let out a sigh before telling him the same thing I told Billy. He seemed fine with me being dumped on him. In fact, he flashed me his dorky smile before closing the distance between us and giving me a bone-crushing hug. I just laughed as I hugged him back.

"So… are you going to introduce me to your friends?" I asked once he let me go, gesturing towards the two boys standing not to far away from us.

"Oh, right. Alex, these are my friends Embry and Quil." Jacob introduced, pointing to each boy as he said his name. "Guys, this is Alex."

Quil gave me a small wave, a slightly awkward smile on his face. Of the three, he seemed to be the shortest with short black hair that had a slight wave to it. Embry nodded his head in greeting, an amused smirk tugging the corner of his lips. He was tall and thin with black hair that fell to his shoulders. I remembered seeing him ages ago when Bella and I had tagged along on the beach trip. It was nice to actually meet him this time.

"So you're the Alex that Jacob is always talking about?" Embry said in a teasing tone, turning his smirk to Jacob.

I looked at Jacob out of the corner of my eyes. "Does he?"

Quil nodded his head enthusiastically, having gotten over his awkwardness quickly. "Oh yeah, we've had to smack him a couple of times to get him to shut up."

The two boys bumped shoulders with each other and laughed while Jacob stood next to me, a hand rubbing the back of his next awkwardly while a small blush covered his cheeks.

"They're, ah, they're just exaggerating." Jacob stuttered out.

"Sure they are." I muttered, smirking at him as well. "So what were you boys doing before I showed up?"

Jacob cleared his throat before gesturing towards the car in the middle of the garage. "We were just working on my car."

I turned to look at the car. "So this is the famous car, huh."

It was still in need of a lot of work. The left side was missing both tires and instead as supported by cinder blocks. I didn't know much about cars but even I could tell that it still needed a lot of work under the hood as well as a paint job.

"This is it."

I told him he could start working on it again and that I wouldn't stop him. He looked at me for a few seconds before walking back over to it and looking under the hood, Embry following close behind. Quil returned to his seat off to the side and I walked over to join him. He smiled at me as I sat down before handing me a coke from the cooler next to him. I thanked him before popping the top and taking a sip. Quil also turned the music down so that we could talk and be able to hear each other.

"So what's been going down here?" I asked after a while, "Anything interesting?"

"Not really." Jacob answered, his head buried in the hood of the car while Embry held a light for him.

"What about your stalker, Jacob. Tell her about that." Embry said, nudging Jacob's arm playfully. He looked over his shoulder at me and flashed me the smirk that I was beginning to realize was almost always on his face.

I scoffed, "Jacob's got a stalker?"

Quil turned to me and nodded his head.

"I do not have a stalker." Jacob called out, his voice echoing slightly. His words were followed by a lot of banging, something that was funny seeing as he was working with a wrench and not a hammer.

"Yes you do!" Quil said loud enough for Jacob to hear him over his banging. "If you wont tell her, we will!"

Jacob never got a chance to answer before Quil turned to me. "A couple weeks before school ended, something strange happened to Sam Uley. He was a no show for two weeks and then bam! He shows up like nothing happened."

"Yeah, but he's all different now." Embry added. "He cut his hair, beefed up, and keeps looking at Jacob like he's waiting for something."

Jacob finally came out from under the hood, and uncomfortable look on his face.

"Do you think he might be in love with you or something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I remembered Sam from long ago at the beach as well. He seemed like a creeper back then, it didn't really surprise me that he was still a creeper.

"I don't know but it's kinda freaking me out." Although he tried to keep his voice indifferent, I could see it was starting to get to him.

"He's probably on drugs or something…" I threw out there, hoping it would make him feel better. "Plus you shouldn't have to worry about him now that schools out for the summer."

"I guess." He muttered slowly, his uneasy expression still on his face.

An awkward silence fell over the four of us. Thankfully a song I recognized started playing on the radio. Leaning over Quil, I twisted the volume and smile widely as the music filled the garage. Standing up, I mimed playing a guitar before mouthing the words of the song. The boys looked at me like I was crazy, their eyebrows raised. It wasn't until the chorus started playing that they shrugged their shoulders and joined in my stupid act of playing rock star.

And that's how we spent the rest of the day. When a song we all knew came on we would stop whatever we were talking about and jam out. Between those moments we sat there talking about whatever came to mind. Occasionally the boys would start talking about a subject that I knew nothing about, either cars or someone from their school, so I would just sit there and listen. I didn't mind thought. As weird as it might sound, I enjoyed watching them interact with one another. It helped me get to know them all better.

Sooner than we would have liked, it came time for Quil, Embry, and I to head home. The rain had stopped falling about an hour ago leaving everything wet and green in its wake. Quil and Embry seemed happy since they had walked to Jacobs house. I had offered them a ride but they told me it wasn't necessary. Because of that I stood next to Jacob by the truck, waving goodbye as they walked down the street together.

"So, thanks for letting me hang around with you and your friends today." I said once they were out of sight. I got into the truck and put the keys in the ignition but didn't start the engine. I just sat there while he leaned against the one window. The sky was dark but that didn't stop us from enjoying the nice summer evening.

"No problem. You can stop by anytime you want." Jacob assured me with a smile.

"With Leslie working all the time and Bella always with Edward, I might just take you up on that."

"So Bella's still with Cullen?" Jacob asked.

I nodded my head. "Yup. They're attached at the hip."

Jacob's lips formed a scowl but he didn't say anything else. I knew what he was thinking about but didn't say anything. Instead, I pulled out my phone to check the time and sighed when I saw that it was a little after eight.

"I should probably go. Bella will have dinner finished soon." I said sadly.

"Oh, okay."

"I'll talk to you later." I promised, turning the key to bring the truck to life.

Jacob backed away from the truck, giving me room to turn around. I waved goodbye before driving down his driveway and into the street. From my rearview mirror I could still see him standing outside watching my truck. I watched him as well until I turned a corner and his red house went out of sight.

* * *

**CULLEN BONDING TIME**

"Okay, I really need to talk to Carlisle about tying a ribbon around the tree next to the turn or something." I muttered under my breath, leaning over steering wheel to get a better look out the windshield.

I never, for the life of me, could remember were the turn off to the Cullen's house was. It's not like I could use a landmark to remember where the turn was, all the trees looked the same! Usually, it wasn't until I passed the turn off that I saw it and I was determined to find it right away this time.

I did not succeed.

I had driven past it and had to back up. A frown formed on my lips as I drove down the long driveway until the large house came into view. Parking the truck in front of the house, I killed the engine and walked inside. The Cullen's never locked their door and told me to just let myself in when I visited. I was a bit uncomfortable at first but soon got used to it.

"Hey Cullen's!" I shouted. If they wanted me to just walk into their house I was at least going to let them know I was here. Not that I really needed to, I guess, seeing as they were all vampires with enhanced senses.

Taking off my jacket, I threw it onto the bench next to the door before climbing the stairs. Emmett was the first one I met. Despite his size, he snuck up on me and grabbed me from behind, lifting me off the ground. I kicked my feet out as a laugh bubbled up from my chest.

"Emmett. Put me down!" I managed to get out finally.

"Oh, it's you, Al. I thought you were a burglar." Emmett teased as he returned me to my feet.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny." He said the same thing every time I came over and he surprised me. One time he jumped down from the ceiling and scared me so bad I fell to the ground and almost wet my pants. He laughed even louder when I told him that.

"So what are you doing here if you're not trying to steal our stuff, hmm?" He asked, crossing his massive arms in front of his chest.

"If you must know, I was invited by Alice. She said it was important and that I was supposed to get here as soon as possible."

"That could mean anything." Emmett said.

I nodded my head, knowing he was right. Most things with Alice was very important and required immediate attention. I followed Emmett into the living room and plopped down next to him on one of the couches. Sighing heavily, I leaned my head against his large shoulder and closed my eyes.

"I know you guys don't have to worry about it, but us humans need our sleep." I mumbled, crossing my arms and wiggling a bit to get comfortable.

"First, it's nine in the morning; don't act like she woke you up in the middle of the night. Second, Bella's been here for over an hour now so you obviously don't need that much sleep."

If my eyes hadn't been closed I would have rolled them. "Don't compare me to my crazy sister. I think she's take one to many hits to the head."

Beneath me, Emmett's body rumbled like an earthquake. "You're mean when you're sleepy."

"Stop moving." I ordered, opening my eyes long enough to shoot him a glare before closing them again.

"Yes ma'am." He said sarcastically, tensing his body. His body became harder than usual causing me to groan and sit up.

"You just think you're so funny, don't you." I said, glaring at him before moving away to curl up on the end of the couch.

"Oh, I know I'm funny." Emmett shot back, laughing once more. "Don't you think I'm funny Jasper?"

I lifted my head, smiling slightly when I saw Jasper walking into the room. "Please save me from this idiot." I begged.

Shaking his head, Jasper leaned against the back of the couch across from us. "What are you guys fighting over now?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Emmett is just being stupid like usual." I said matter-of-factually. "Where's Alice. She said she had there was something important she needed me for.

"Alice is off trying to find Edward and Bella, she has something planned for the two of you." Jasper told me smugly, a smirk on his face.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What exactly does she have planned?" I asked, my voice low and suspicious.

"Shopping!" Alice cried happily, walking into the room with a fearful looking Bella.

An annoyed look crossed my face as I turned to look at her. "You made me get up early for shopping."

Alice flashed me a bright smile, showing off her straight white teeth. "Yes. So get up. We are wasting valuable shopping hours here."

I sat my head back down and closed my eyes. "I'm good here. Have fun with Bella."

I had only seconds of peace before a pair of strong, cold arms picked my up from the couch. My eyes snapped open and I saw that I was over Alice's shoulder and on was being carried out of the room.

"Alice, put me down." I ordered before looking at Jasper and Emmett. "Guys, a little help?"

"Sorry, but I'm too stupid to help." Emmett pointed out, grinning smugly at me from the couch. I turned to Jasper for help, my eyes pleading. But he just smiled widely while waving goodbye.

"Traitors!" I yelled as Alice started carrying me down the stairs, Bella following behind with her head down.

I've never really been a shopper; I didn't have the patience for it. Walking from store to store carrying bags of clothes, trying on different things to see if they fit right, seeing something cute but not having the money to pay for it. Normally I would suffer through it for a couple of hours when mom wanted to go, but mom never made me get up early for it.

I complained all the way down to the Cullen's fancy black car and only stopped when Alice promised we would stop and get something for breakfast. It wasn't anything special; we just stopped at a fast-food place, but I got food and that improved my mood towards shopping considerably.

**X-X-X**

"Oh my god! I am in love!" I cried excitedly, holding the soft fabric to my face. It was dark blue with silver elephants on it. Seeing as elephants were my favorite animals, it drew my attention right away.

"Then you should get it." Alice told me, skipping over to join me at the stand selling scarves.

I checked the price tag and almost dropped the scarf on the floor. "Yeah, I don't have enough money." I said as I returned the scarf to the hook I had found it on.

I was surprised by how much I had enjoyed shopping with Alice, even though she made me try on almost everything in sight. She did just about all the work for me, finding clothes and accessories that went together. It was like having my own personal stylist. I think even Bella enjoyed herself.

"Well, you could always let me buy it for you." Alice said, shrugging her shoulders. "I told you it wasn't that big a deal."

I shook my head. "No. Alice, I don't want you paying for my stuff."

Even though she had told me at least five times though out the day that it was fine, I wouldn't let her pay for any of my clothes. It just didn't seem right letting someone else pay for my stuff. She had tried to do the same for Bella but my sister turned her down as well.

With one last look at the scarf, I started walking towards another store that we hadn't been in yet. Bella followed behind me and the two of us starting looking through one of the clothes racks. Alice showed up a few minutes later, arms full with clothes, and started ushering Bella and I towards the dressing rooms.

We played fashion show for a few more hours until Alice was finally satisfied. Arms loaded with bags, Bella and I carrying some of Alice's, we made our way towards the car. With the truck full, and bags taking up half of the backseat, we started to make our way back to Forks.

"Alice, I'm hungry." I whined, looking down at my stomach, "Do you think we could stop somewhere and get something to eat?"

Alice didn't say anything, just nodded her head. We drove for a while before we turned off the road and pulling up to a small restaurant. As it was dinnertime, the place was full but we were soon seated in a booth towards the back. Alice ate nothing but instead sat across from Bella and I as we ate are food. When we were finished, she paid the bill before we once again started off towards home.

"Hey look, you're alive." Emmett called jokingly as we got out of the car.

I shot him a look before walking around to the trunk to get my bags. "I'm mad at you."

Emmett came around to the back of the car, grabbing my bags from my hands. "Oh, come on. It couldn't have been that bad, was it?"

I shot him another glare before my face softened and I shook my head. "No, it was actually kinda fun."

Together the two of us walked over to my truck. It had been a long day and I was ready to go home. Bella didn't join us though. Instead, she made her way back into the Cullen's house to spend more time with Edward. Opening the door, I got behind the steering wheel while Emmett placed my shopping bags in the passenger seat.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked, leaning against the open door.

I tried to keep a smile from playing on my lips but was unsuccessful. "No, I'm not still made at you." I said, "I'm not mad at Jasper so make sure you tell him that."

Even though the two vampires often bugged me, I could never stay mad at them. They were like the cool older brothers I'd always wanted. Bella was a good sister and all, but she was incredibly boring. It was nice to have someone to joke around and tease. Waving goodbye, I waited for Emmett to close the passenger door before starting the truck and heading off towards home.

* * *

Authors Note:: I edited the ending for _Cullen Bonding Time _and like it a whole lot more now. _Nice to Meet You _is still my favorite of the two though. I just like the interactions between Alex and the boys. In case you were wondering, the song Alex starts jamming out too by herself is Heat of the Moment by Asia. You're welcome to imagine any song you want, it's that's what I was listening to when I wrote the chapter. Thank you so much for reading the first chapter for Heat of Summer! :)


	2. July

**HEAT OF SUMMER: JULY **

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY::**

I always knew when the day was going to be sunny instead of rainy because the light from the sun spilled in through my window and landed on my face. Today wasn't any different. Not ready to get up yet, I pulled my dark red comforter over my head before rolling over. I had to shift a bit more before finding the perfect spot. Sighing contently, I started to fall back asleep. I'm not sure how much time passed but soon, a small hand rested itself on my shoulder and gently started shaking me.

"What is it?" I groaned, rolling over and removing the blanket from my head before squinting up at my dad and sister.

Both gave me an awkward smile before holding out a small gift bag each. "Happy birthday!"

Turning down my blankets, I pushed myself up and wiped the sleep from my eyes. "Aw, thanks guys."

"Happy birthday, Kiddo." Charlie said, handing me the blue bag he carried.

Giving a sleepy smile, I took the bag from him and sat it in my lap. When I couldn't find a card I started taking out the tissue paper until I found the present hidden inside. My smile widened as I pulled out a small stuffed elephant with soft light blue fur.

"It's so cute," I exclaimed, pulling the animal to my chest, "Thanks Dad!"

"I'm glade you like it."

Resting the stuffed elephant in my lap, I picked up the tissue paper from my bed, stuffed it in the now empty bag, and leaned over to place the bag on the floor. After straightening back up, I grabbed Bella's gift and sat it down in front of me. It was even smaller than Charlie's so it didn't take long to get to the gifts at the bottom.

"Thanks Bella." I said happily, pulling out a small handful of CD's from my favorite bands. Pulling out all the cases, I sat them on my bedside table before turning to face Bella and Charlie. "Thank you both so much."

"You're not done yet." Charlie pointed out, earning a confused look from me. Charlie walked towards my door and grabbed a box from the hallway. It was big and wrapped in white paper that said 'happy birthday' everywhere. "This is from your mom."

I should have known that my mom wouldn't forget my birthday. Dad sat the box in my lap and I made quick work of tearing the paper off to reveal the simple white box underneath. Opening the lid, I found a folded blue and white blanket. Upon taking it out of the box and unfolding, I saw that it had a large print of an elephant on it.

"Oh, my god." I exclaimed, draping it around my shoulders and pulling it close. "It's so warm.

Rubbing the fabric against my face, I sighed happily. With all the rain in Forks, it was often cold so it would be nice to have a warm blanket to drag around the house with me. It was just a bonus that it had an elephant on it.

"Thanks again guys, these gifts are great."

Charlie gave me a small half smile, placing his hands in his pockets. "Well, we should probably let you get ready for the day. We're going to the diner for breakfast, remember?"

I nodded my head and watched him and Bella leave me room before getting out of bed. After fixing the covers so everything looked a little nice, I placed my stuffed elephant from Charlie on my pillows and folded the blanket from Renee at the foot of by bed before walking over to my closet and digging out some clothes. Throwing on a pair of dark wash jeans and a long sleeve black shirt, I exited my room to brush my teeth and comb my hair. When I returned, I found another elegantly wrapped present sitting on my bed. Confused, I slowly made my way towards it. A card rested on top so I quickly opened it.

**_Alex,_**

**_Happy Birthday! Hope you like the gift, Alice helped pick it out. She asks that you wear it to your party tonight. I'll be at your house to pick you up at 7:00._**

**_ Edward._**

Right away I knew that it had to be some sort of dress in the box. In the short time I've known her, I've realized that Alice loved throwing parties. But not just any parties. All out parties where she had everyone dress up and decorated the house in such a way that a picture of it belonged in a magazine. I had no idea what to expect. The only party of hers that I have ever been too was one celebrating the end of the school year and I could only assume that it would be bigger than that, and that party was big.

Lifting the lid, I pulled the strapless dress from box and held it out. Instantly, I recognized it as one that I had tried on a few weeks ago when I had gone shopping with Bella and Alice. With a shake of my head, I held the dress against my body for a few seconds before walking over to hang it on the door of my closet. When that was done, I walked down stairs where Bella and Dad where waiting me in the living room.

"Ready to go?" Charlie asked, getting up from his chair.

"Yup, let's go. I'm starved."

Together, we all exited the house and got into the cruiser. When we got to the diner, we were greeted to a chorus of 'happy birthdays'. I smiled and thanked everyone as we took our usual seat at the small table by the door.

"Oh, look at you," Cora said, coming over to take our orders. "Such a gorgeous girl you are growing up to be."

A small blush covered my cheeks as I thanked her for the complement. I could only take some much attention and I was about to reach my limit. And it wasn't even noon yet. Back in Arizona, my birthday wasn't that big of a deal. The only people that really did anything for it were my mom, Bella, and my friends. I wasn't used to a whole town knowing.

We each gave our orders and sat quietly while we waited for our food to be brought. We didn't have to wait long before Cora returned carrying three plates of eggs, pancakes, and French toast. The three of us made small talk while we ate, stopping every once and a while when someone I didn't know came up to wish me a happy birthday. When Cora came out with a piece of cobbler with a candle in it, I ate it quickly so that we could go home.

"Well that was fun." I muttered as we got into the cruiser and pulled away from the diner.

It didn't take long for us to reach the house. Pulling into the driveway, we were greeted by Billy and Jacob standing at the bottom of our stairs.

"There's the birthday girl." Billy cried as soon as we all got out of the car and joined them by the stairs.

"Hey, Billy." Charlie greeted while Bella and I both just waved.

"Are you having a good day so far?" Billy asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, smiling slightly. "It's going pretty good."

"Well I hope it stays that way."

From his tone of voice I could tell that he was talking about something else but I wasn't entirely sure what. The moment was passed over quickly as Charlie brought up some game that would start in an hour and helped Billy up the stairs. Bella followed quickly after them and held the door open before heading up to her room.

I stayed outside with Jacob, turning towards him with a raised eyebrow. "So… are you going to wish me a happy birthday?"

Jacob, who had been looking at his shoes lifted his head and pulled his right arm from behind his back.

"Happy birthday," he said softly before offering me a small, awkwardly wrapped gift.

"You didn't have to get me anything." I said, taking the gift from him.

"I know."

Being carful not to harm the trinket within, I unwrapped the paper and picked up the small bracelet. It looked to be a braided band in the form of a dream catcher with silver beads on both sides and a smaller bead in the middle. It was very plain but very interesting at the same time.

"I saw it a few weeks ago and thought of you." Jacob told me, his eyes studying my face. "Do you like it?"

I nodded my head, smiling before trying to secure it to my wrist. After failing a couple times, Jacob took my small hands in his and quickly tying it to my right wrist.

"Thanks." Touching the bracelet, I smiled down at it before looking up at him. "Should we go inside then?"

He nodded his head and together we made our ways up the stairs and inside the house. Joining our fathers in the living room, we sat next to one another on the couch and waited for the game to start. Around one o-clock, Charlie went into the kitchen and made some of the left over fish he had from his last fishing trip. When he was finished, he brought it into the living room on a large plate and sat it on the coffee table for everyone to pick at.

"Oh, I have to get ready." I said a few hours later, looking down at my phone.

"Ready?" Charlie asked, his eyes briefly leaving the television screen to look at me confused.

"Alice is having a birthday for me at her house, remember?"

Charlie made a noise before turning back to the game. I saw Billy give an angry look but quickly left the room so I didn't have to hear whatever smart comment he would most likely make. Heading up to my room, I grabbed my robe before crossing into the bathroom for a shower. I didn't take to long under the warm water, just long enough for me to clean both my body and hair. Once out, I wrapped my hair in a towel, donned my robe, and returned to my room.

Seeing as I had to let myself dry off a bit, I decided to figure out what exactly I was going to wear to the Cullen's. I already had the dress but I needed to find accessories that matched. It took me a while but I finally found an old pair of silver sandals at the back of my small closet and a plain white cardigan that I would wear over until I got to the party. By then, I was dry enough so I sat down in front of my vanity and started on my makeup. I didn't bother doing anything too fancy, just a little more than I usually did. Once that was done, I removed the towel covering my hair and let it air-dry the rest of the way while I got dressed.

"I still got time…I think I'll paint my nails." I mused to myself.

Normally, I didn't bother. It never seemed to last long because I always picked the polish off when I was bored. But seeing as I was going to a party thrown by Alice, I thought I might as well. Picking up a glittery silver, I sat down and started covering my clean nails in the polish. It took a few coats and it was messy but I figured I could clean it up later once it had dried.

While I waited, I flipped through a book and messed around on my phone before finally doing my hair. Brushing it out, I twisted it around for a bit before gathering most of it at the base of my neck before pining it in place. Messing around with my bangs, I let them frame my face before smiling at my reflection.

"I clean up good. Alice is going to be so proud of me." I said with a smile before going to the bathroom to clean up my nails.

"Alex," Bella called from downstairs, a few seconds later "Edward's here."

"Crap."

Looking down at my fingers, glittery nail polish covering the skin around the nails, I let out a shaky breath before getting up from my vanity. Oh well, I had tried my best. Grabbing my cardigan, I exited my room and made my way downstairs and into the kitchen where Bella and Edward were waiting.

"So how do I look?" I asked, giving a little spin.

Edward gave a small chuckle as he got up from the table. "You look very nice, Alex."

Smiling at him, I exited the kitchen and entered the living room to say goodbye to Charlie. Some time while I was getting ready, Billy and Jacob must have left because they weren't in the room. Walking over to Charlie's chair, I bent over and gave him a quickly kiss in the top of his head.

"I'll see you later."

"Yeah, well, have fun." Charlie said, his deep voice neutral.

It didn't take long for us to get to the Cullen house after that, Edward driving like his usual speed demon self. The trees lining the path to the house were light up with hundreds of different flickering lights. Dark blue candles and light music greeted us as we got out of the car.

"Wow." I muttered, eyes wide as we entered the house.

"Alex!"

All I saw was a blur before Alice's strong pale arms were around my neck. When she let go, she grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs the living room where the rest of the Cullen's were waiting. The room was amazing, candles and flowers covered the room. Two circular tables were set up, one holding presents and the other the fanciest cake I had ever seen.

"So…what do you think?"

"Alice, this is amazing." I breathed, turning to look at her. "Thank you."

Alice gave a small hop, clapping her hands before skipping off to the gift table and grabbing a shiny dark blue package.

"This one is from me."

I took the gift happily, unwrapping the pretty paper to uncover the plain white box underneath. Pulling off the top, I gasped when I saw what Alice had gotten me. My hand went out and touched the familiar fabric of the scarf, feeling the softness and watching as the light caught on the little silver elephants.

"Thanks, Alice."

She smiled at me before going to get another present and handing it to me.

"That's from Rose and me." Emmett said, a smirk on his face, "Now you can look as cool as you think you are."

I gave him a confused look before opening the gift and seeing what he was talking about. Inside the box was a black leather jacket that I'm sure if I tried it on would fit me like a glove. I stuck my tongue out at him and shook my head before taking the gift Esme was offering. Smiling, I took it and unwrapped the thin present to reveal a picture of an elephant. She must have seen my slight confusion because she explained the meaning behind it.

"Alice and Edward both told us how you liked elephants so much so we thought we would help figure out a day for you to visit the zoo to see what in person."

Excitement filled my body as I thought about seeing an elephant up close. I'd done it one other time in my life, when I was a lot younger. It was actually how elephants became my favorite animal in the first place. It would be amazing to see one again. Hopping around, I clenched the picture to my chest before hugging both Esme and Carlisle.

"Well, I'm not sure how my gift is going to compete with that." Jasper muttered from behind me, drawing my attention to him.

"I'm sure you got me something very nice." I assured, elbowing him before taking the wrapped tube he held. Tearing off the paper, I took the poster out of the tube and unrolled it, smiling at the poster of one of my favorite movies ever. "No way, this is awesome."

Looking around the room, I smiled at each and every one of the Cullen's and my sister. This had been the best birthday I had ever had and I don't think I could have asked to spend the rest of the day with better people. They really were starting to be like my second family.

"Thank you all so much, I don't think I've ever had such an amazing birthday."

"You're so welcome, dear." Esme said softly, flashing me her motherly smile.

The party went on for another hour after that. Although they didn't eat, the Cullen's insisted on holding a dinner in my honor. While Bella and I ate, they sat around the table and we all talked and hand fun together. When the main course was finished, Jasper and Emmett brought out the cake, which was a rich chocolate with white frosting and little blue and black flowers covering it. I think I thanked them all a million times before Edward brought my sister and I home.

* * *

**CLIFF DIVING:: **

"Please Leslie?" I begged, flashing my red haired friend my best puppy dog eyes. I stood outside her house, dressed in a short sleeve shirt and a pair of shorts.

"No. You just want to go to La Push to see your boyfriend." Leslie huffed, crossing her arms over her chest before turning her back to me.

I rolled my eyes at her. "He's not my boyfriend."

Leslie shook her head. "You wish he was," she muttered under her breath before looking at me over her shoulder. "It's my day to hang out with you, can't we do something else?"

Because she was looking at me again, I fixed my puppy dog pout back onto my face, this time holding my clasped hands under my chin. "But it's such a nice day, can't we just go to the beach? There will be cute boys there." I watched as she tried to keep a straight face but quickly fail.

"Fine." She said with a sigh, letting her hands fall from her chest so that they now hung loosely at her sides. "Let me go get changed."

I let out a loud whoop of joy before running back to the truck to wait for her. I didn't have to wait too long as she soon exited her house in a tank top and shorts, a towel under her arm and a small bag over one of her shoulders.

"I hope you appreciate how much I love you." She said grumpily, pulling the truck's door with enough force to make sure it closed.

I turned to smile at her as I drove away from her house. "I do. And I love you back."

"Sure you do." She muttered sarcastically before rolling down the window and letting the warm breeze blow through the truck.

I shook my head and laughed before heading off towards La Push and the beach. It took us about fifteen minutes, but soon we were pulling into the parking lot and joining the dozen other people who had come to enjoy the sun.

"See, isn't this nice?" I said as we got out of the truck, shielding my eyes from the bright sun with my hand.

"I guess…" Leslie said slowly, a small smile appearing on her lips. "There's an open spot over there."

Together, we walked over to the open spot Leslie had found. Laying out our towels, we removed our clothes so that our swimsuits could be seen before lying down to tan. It felt so good to lie out. Since moving to Forks, my skin had lost the faint tan that used to cover it, making me look almost as pale as my sister, something I wasn't too thrilled about. It would be nice to have some color again.

"Okay," Leslie started after a few minutes, "I have to admit, this was a good idea."

"I told you." I said smugly, not bothering to look at her.

"Watch it, Swan." Leslie warned jokingly.

"What are you going to do if I don't? I drove here, I'll leave you."

Leslie gave a scoff/ chuckle but didn't say anything else. We slipped into another silence, enjoying the rare warmth of the sun. Although we didn't open our eyes, we could hear the sound of people talking and children playing in the sand around us. Every once and a while, a seagull would fly by, calling loudly. As strange as it was, it was very calming.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A familiar voice asked.

Without warning, a shadow fell over my face, blocking the warmth. Squinting angrily, I looked up into the face of Embry Call.

"What do you want loser?" I spoke in mock annoyance, trying to keep a smile from forming.

"Oh nothing, I was just passing by when I saw your truck and thought I would come bug you." Embry explained, shrugging his shoulders as he plopped down in the sand next to my head.

I've been talking to Embry and Quil a lot since meeting them in Jacob's garage all those weeks ago. I found Embry to be entertaining to talk to while Quil was a great listener.

"Okay, you've bugged her. You can leave now." Leslie said, rolling over and glaring at Embry.

"Leslie, be nice." I muttered, rolling my eyes and sitting up, turning around so that I could look at both Leslie and Embry.

"You're Leslie?" Embry asked, pointing at the red headed girl.

Leslie raised an eyebrow at the dark haired boy. "Pretty sure she just referred to me as Leslie."

Embry gave a chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "Jake was right, you are kinda rude." He spoke good-naturedly.

"Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about." I said protectively, leaning over to gently pat her on the back. "I got your back buddy."

"Gee, thanks." Leslie replied, her voice neutral but the corners of her lips twitching up.

I smiled at that, happy that my friend was starting to lighten up a bit. She often came off as rude because she was very picky about the people she trusted. And when she trusted someone, she became very protective of them.

"So where were you heading?" I asked Embry.

"Oh, I was about to meet the guys for some cliff diving."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Cliff diving?" The term sounded familiar but I couldn't remember what it was.

His usual smirk crossed his face as his eyes flickered from me to Leslie. "Oh, it's really fun. Do you guys want to come?"

I looked at Leslie, knowing that it would be up to her if we went or not. She seemed to think about it for a bit before nodding her head. I grinned widely and fell down on top of her.

"Yay."

Leslie laughed, shoving me off of her while Embry rubbed his hands together. He seemed excited about something, but I didn't think much of it. He always seemed excited about something. Rolling up our towels, we put back on our cover-ups before turning to Embry and waiting for him to lead the way.

Embry led us down the beach and into the woods where we walked for what felt like forever. A few minutes in, Leslie and I shared a look before we both started complaining. I was really glade that I hadn't worn my flip-flops like I had originally thought about doing because I probably would have fallen then.

"Are we almost there?" I asked dramatically

"How much further?" Leslie asked, stopping momentarily to rub her hurt feet. Unlike me, she was wearing flip-flops and kept hitting every little branch and rock with her toes. Luckily, I was used to walking with Bella so I was ready to catch her when she almost tripped a couple of times.

"Yes, we are almost there." Embry said for what felt like the twentieth time. We walked for a few more minutes before we finally broke through the tree line and out onto a patch of rock where Jacob, Quil, and a few others stood waiting.

"Hey guys, I found some strays, can I keep them?" Embry called, gesturing towards Leslie and me behind him.

Five heads turned towards us, two of which smiled before heading towards us.

"Embry, you can keep them as long as you promise to take care of them." Quil said, playing along with Embry.

Embry turned to look back at us for a moment before turning back to his friends. "Nah, that seems like to much work."

"Thanks Embry." I muttered before turning happily to Jacob and Quil. "Hey guys."

"Hey Alex." Jacob said, giving me his crooked smile before turning to Leslie and stiffening slightly. "Leslie."

"Black."

I rolled my eyes at the two. Lately they've been acting like they had joint custody over me, switching back and forth between the two of them. Once, Leslie got really mad when she caught me texting Jacob while over at her house and then there was another time when Jacob looked disappointed when I took a phone call from Leslie and let her vent out a bad day after work. I thought their little feud was stupid but they never seemed to listen when I told them to stop.

"So, we're going cliff diving?" I asked, trying to break the slight awkward silence that had fallen.

Quil, also feeling a bit awkward, nodded his head. "Yeah, now that slow poke over here has finally shown up we can get this show on the road." He said, pointing a thumb at Embry.

"Who are you calling slow?" Embry demanded, pulling his shirt over his head before taking a shove at Quil.

The short haired boy quickly pulled his own shirt over his head before returning the gesture. The two gave a few chuckles as they continued to push each other until they got really close to the edge. My heart suddenly stopped as Embry pretty much tackled Quil sending them both over the edge of the cliff. I took a step towards the cliff to help them, terror written on my face when Jacob wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me in place.

"Jake, they just when over the cliff." I stuttered out, my breath coming quickly.

"I know, that's what cliff diving is, Alex." Jacob told me, chuckling slightly. "It's fun."

I look up at him, my face disbelieving. Jumping off a cliff was dangerous! But then I heard the loud yells of excitement coming from Embry and Quil before two loud splashes. I quickly turned to the other people of the group, two girls and a boy I didn't know, as they two stripped out of their clothes before jumping off the cliff.

"You people are crazy." I muttered, shaking my head. Slowly, I took a step away from Jacob and towards the trees instead.

"I don't know, Alex, I think it might be worth a try." Leslie said, causing my head to snap towards her.

"Seriously?"

She nodded her head. "I think my brother talked about going cliff diving with his friends once and found it to be really thrilling."

"Okay, you're both crazy." I tried to exit through the trees and return to the beach only to be stopped once again by Jacob.

"Come on, Alex. Don't be boring." He said. With his arm over my shoulders, he led me over to the edge of the cliff and looked over the side. "Look, it's not that far a drop, no rocks at the bottom, it's perfectly safe."

Peaking over the edge of the cliff as well I saw that he was right. The drop wasn't hardly as far as I had thought it and there were no pointy rocks like I had imagined. Instead what I saw was five splashing forms. After making a face, I backed away from the side of the cliff and faced Leslie.

"Okay." Now it was Leslie's turn to give a small whoop of excitement. "But you guys are going to have to go with me. If you don't I think I might chicken out." I admitted.

Leslie rolled her eyes at that but didn't saw anything as she once again removed her clothes, showing off her bright red swimsuit that surprising complimented her hair. Reluctantly, I followed her example, removing my shirt and shorts, leaving me in my black swim bottoms and light blue top.

"Let's get this over with."

Leslie joined me at the side of the cliff, bouncing on the balls of her feet while she waited. Turned to Jacob, nodding my head for him to join us. With his crooked grin in place, he shook his head before pulling his shirt over his head. At the sight of his toned chest I quickly turned away in the attempt of keeping a blush from covering my cheeks.

"On the count of three?" He asked, coming to stand on my right. I nodded my head.

"One."

I grabbed both Leslie and Jacob's hands in mine.

"Two."

I gripped the hands as tight as possible, closing my eyes as I tried to block out what I was about to do.

"Three."

Without thinking, I pushed off from the cliff and gave myself into the open air. I felt as though my stomach was in my throat. A scream bubbled up and mixed with the cries of excitement from both Leslie and Jacob. I felt their hands slip from my own and my eyes opened. All I saw was the blue of the sky and the shine of the water before I went under. I let the calmness of the water surround me for a moment before kicking up towards the surface. I turned my head around, looking at those closest to me.

"So?" Embry asked.

"That. Was. Awesome!" I cried, flashing him a large grin. "Can we go again?"

* * *

Authors Note:: I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post this update. Something always seemed to get in the way. But I finally finished it so I hope that you all can forgive me. We got an amazing response for the first update, do you think we can do it again for this update? I made a collection on Polyvore for this mini story so please check that out. I've also made a poll on my profile so please check that out as well. I want Jacob to give Alex a nickname and would like your help to pick one out. I'm also open to other suggestions. :)


	3. August

**HEAT OF SUMMER: AUGUST **

**A LITTLE TRAINING::**

"Can we call it a day?" I asked, resting my head on the Cullen's large dining room table.

"Alex, this was your idea." Edward reminded me.

Although I couldn't see him, I could hear the smugness in his voice and knew he was smirking. I knew he was right, but that didn't stop me from groaning loudly. I had thought that if I practiced hard enough, I could learn to block Edward from my mind. I just didn't think it would be this hard…or hurt this much.

"My head hurts and I'm tired." I continued to complain, lifting my head enough so that I was not looking at him.

"We haven't even been at it for an hour." Edward told me, shaking his head slightly. "Let's at least try one last time."

I groaned and rested my head on the table for a second time before straightening up and slouching in my chair. "Fine."

Edward smirked triumphantly. "Okay, clear your mind."

I shot him a quick glare before closing my eyes and doing as he said. Everything was dark as I tried to clear all thoughts from my brain. Because I was tired and had a headache, it was hard. But after a few minutes I felt as though everything had been stored away and that I was ready.

"Okay." I said, keeping my eyes closed.

"Now think of something and then concentrate on putting up a wall around it. I'll give you a few seconds before trying to look inside your mind."

Taking a deep breath I started thinking about running Edward over with my truck. It was a little mean but the thought matched my feelings towards him at the moment. After fixing the thought in the center of my mind, I started to build a brick wall around it. I built the wall in a dome, almost igloo shape. Once the first layer was finished, I started on a second, concentrating hard on keeping Edward out of my mind.

"Now is that really necessary?" Edward asked after a while, having finally broken down my barriers and seen the thought I had tried to keep a secret.

A pain fixed itself in the small area between my eyebrows, throbbing every few seconds. I opened my eyes and blinked at the sudden light.

"I can't help it, it's how I feel right now." I muttered rubbing the soft skin of my forehead. "How long was it, Bella."

Because the two were inseparable, my sister was in charge of timing how long it took Edward to work his way into my mind. Because she had no problem shielding her thoughts from Edward, having her at these little sessions was like a kick in the face to me. But because she was my sister I never said anything about it. I needed Edward's help and telling him Bella shouldn't be there was pretty much a guaranteed way to get him to not help me.

"Almost eight minutes." Bella recited, looking up from her phone, which acted as the stopwatch for these experiments.

I groaned, that was almost the same as the last time he tried to get into my mind. We had been doing these little meetings once a week for the past few weeks now and I as slowly increasing my time. But it didn't matter if Edward was still able to read my mind in the end. Once he was in he was in.

"Well, I'm going to go eat now." I said before Edward could talk me into another round.

Pushing away from the table I walked the short distance into the kitchen and sat down at my usual stool. Esme looked up from her cooking long enough to flash me a warm smile before turning back to her work. It has become a sort of routine of mine. After Edward and I trained for a bit, I would come in here to eat whatever was cooked that day while he and Bella went off to do I don't even know what.

"So how did it go today?" Carlisle asked, placing a salad in front of me.

"I think I'm getting better. He can still read my mind but it's taking him longer." I told him, picking up my fork and stabbing a bit of lettuce.

Carlisle said something else, but I wasn't listening. My left elbow rested on the tabletop and I was cradling my head in my hand. With my right hand I continued to bring forkfuls of lettuce to my mouth, chewing slowly. The pounding was still present so I closed my eyes and let my mind wander. After spending close to 45 minutes trying to block it, it felt nice to just let it roam free.

_I hope I can close my mind soon. All this pain better not be for nothing. _

_I wonder if all this practice will make me smarter? _

_What if I develop super powers! _

My eyes opened looked down at my fork resting atop my napkin. Squinting, I pictured the fork lifting into the air and moving towards the half full bowl of salad in front of me. I'm not sure how long I sat there, looking at the stupid fork. Nothing happened. I made a face before thinking of something. Lifting my hand like Obi Wan Kenobi, I directing it at the fork and tried once again to make it rise from the table.

"What are you doing, Al?" Emmett asked, once again sneaking up behind me.

Like usual, I jumped about a mile high before turning and glaring at him. "I'm trying to use the force."

"My god, you're a dork." He teased, ruffling the top of my head before taking a seat on the stool next to me.

"Emmett, be nice." Esme said, looking up from the plate she was placing food one, a warning look on her face. She then turned to me, a smile now crossing her lips, and placed the plate of food in front of me. "Enjoy dear."

Today for lunch it was a simple plate of spaghetti and meatballs, but it was the best plate of spaghetti and meatballs I had ever had. The presentations looking like something out of a cooking magazine, beautifully laid out. With all the time they had, I'm sure they made most of it from scratch.

"Thanks Esme." Picking up the fork I had previously tried to lift with my mind, I stabbed a meatball and put it in my mouth. "Amazing like always, Esme." I praised.

Esme smiled once more at me before picking up some used pots and pans, which she handed to Carlisle who was filling the sink with warm water. I watched the two of them for a moment before turning back to my food.

"So why were you trying to "use the force"?" Emmett asked, an amused smirk on his face.

I looked at him, chewing slowly. I wondered if I should tell him the real reason. One of two things was going to happen, either he was going to brush off what I said or he was going to laugh at me. Despite my gut telling me that the latter was the most likely, I decided to tell him.

"Well… I kinda had this thought that if I train my mind to block out Edward maybe I could train it to do something cooler." I watched him carefully, waiting for him let out a loud rumble of laughter like he usually did but was met with a surprise.

He did laugh, but it was only a small chuckle. "You're a human, that's impossible. Now, if you were a vampire…"

I gave him a sad look before it changed to confusion. "Wait, that's a real thing?"

Emmett shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure it is, I mean, Alice can see visions, Edward can read minds, why couldn't someone move things with their mind."

I thought about that for a moment, excited at the thought that it was a possibility. Since knowing the Cullen's, I had spent a fair amount of time wondering what it would be like to live like them. Most of it just seemed lonely and hard, always being on the run and keeping what you truly were a secret. But there was some appeals to it, like the insane beauty and the possibility of having a cool power.

* * *

**WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM::**

I sat in the garage, my elbows resting on my knees and my head resting in my hands. My eyes followed Jacob as he rolled out from under the car to get a drink of the coke sitting next to his toolbox. I let out a groan that mixed with the music flowing out from the boom box next to me.

"I'm bored." I moaned, drawing his attention over to me. "Could we maybe do something else now?"

I liked hanging out with Jacob, but there was only so much of watching him work on his car that I could take. Usually when Embry and Quil were over I could pass the time talking with Quil, but when it was just Jacob and I it was harder.

He looked at me for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Yeah, what do you wanna do?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Just want to go for a walk?"

"It's raining," Jacob pointed out. I watched his face changed to a slightly nervous expression.

I brushed off his expression and rolled my eyes, already knowing that it was raining. You could hear it patter against the roof of the garage.

"So?"

It was summer so the rain and wind was warmer than it usually was. If we went for a walk we wouldn't have to worry about freezing out butts off. Standing up, I grabbed my coat from behind me and slipped my arms into the sleeves.

"So, are we going to go?" I asked, pulling my hair from the collar of my jacket. "Or are you afraid of a getting wet, Miss Wicked Witch."

My comment seemed to have worked because Jacob gave a sigh and shook his head before pushing himself up. Grabbing a black spotted rag, he cleaned the oil from his hands before grabbing his own coat.

"Okay, let's go."

I clapped my hands excitedly before skipping over to the door of the garage. Pulling it open, I waited for him to exit before following behind and closing the door. Together we pulled our hoods over heads before stuffing our hands in our pockets and walking down the small path and past Jacob's house before walking along the side of the road towards town.

It was quiet for a while, both of us just enjoying the change of scenery and each other's company. After a while, I got bored of breathing in the fresh air so I bumped Jacob's shoulder. He looked down at me for a moment, surprised, before smirking and pushing me back. We did this for a few seconds before laughing.

"So are you ready for school to be starting again after this week?" I asked.

"Eh, not really. It's been nice having time to work on my car. Giving that up to do homework is going to suck."

I let out a scoff, "So sorry my company wasn't enough to miss. Once school starts I wont be able to come down as often."

Over the summer I had spent at least 70% at La Push. Charlie and Leslie were always working, Bella was never out of Edward's sight, and if it weren't for Jacob and his friends I would have been left at the house all by myself. Sure I probably could of gotten a lot of reading done but even I could stand doing nothing but that for three months.

"I won't miss you eating all the food." Jacob teased, earning another shove from me.

"Shut up, it's you and your little band of friends that eat everything. I'm usually lucky if I get a pizza crust or a few chips." I teased back, mock glaring at him.

By now we had gotten into town and were walking along the sideway, looking into the windows of some of the shops. Before I knew what happened, Jacob grabbed my arm and pulled me into one of the shops; a store that sold different knickknacks for when tourists visited the beach.

"I think you almost pulled my arm out of its socket." I muttered, rubbing my shoulder slightly. Looking over at him, I saw that he was moving towards the back of the shop and out of sight from the window. "What are you doing?"

"Sam." Was all he said before ducking down and pretending to look at a shelf full of snow globes.

Confused, I turned back to the window just in time to see three boys pass by. All three had very short hair, were tall, and were bare chested even though it was raining. I recognized the boy in front as Sam Uley but did not know the two boys that followed close behind. They didn't look through the window and soon were gone.

"Is your stalker still giving you problems?" I asked, remembering when Embry first told me about Sam.

"Is he gone?" Jacob asked, ignoring my question.

I groaned. "Yes, he's gone. Didn't even look in."

Jacob slowly came out from behind one of the displays, moving cautiously as though he didn't believe me. Looking towards the window he saw that I was telling the truth, that the older boy was not there.

"He's staring at me more. It started getting worse when Jared and Paul started following him around."

"Who?" I didn't recognize those names.

"Jared Cameron and Paul Lahote. It all started a couple weeks ago." Jacobs voice took on a nervous quality, something it usually did whenever he talked about Sam.

I assumed Jared and Paul were the two boys following behind Sam like a pair of puppy dogs. Anger bubbled in the pit of my stomach as I thought about how much this stupid Sam guy was getting to Jacob. I wondered if he was worried about going back to school because it meant he would have to face Sam's new minions every day. Although they were tall, they didn't look that old.

"You shouldn't let Sam get to you. He's probably some punk playing drug dealers and those other two creeps are his new customers or something. Just keep staying away from him and you should be fine." I said, both trying to make him feel better and speaking the truth.

I had been thinking about it and the only thing that I could come up with was that he had to be on some sort of drugs, steroids if I had to guess. There was no other way that he could go away for a few weeks and then come back ripped. I remembered him from when I met him on the beach months ago; he had been a little skinny thing than.

Jacob looked at me before shaking his head. "I don't know. I keep trying but he lately he always seems to show up. That's why I've been spending so much time on my car recently."

Now I understood why he hadn't jumped at the idea when I suggested we went for a walk. Part of me suddenly felt bad for dragging him outside.

"Look, he'll give up eventually. Just give it some time."

Jacob gave a sigh. "I hope so."

Stretching out a hand, I gave his shoulder a reassuring pat before nodding my head towards the door of the shop. "So, we should be safe. Wanna head back to your garage?"

Slowly he nodded, causing me to smile. Moving carefully, I walked towards the door and opened it a creak, big enough so that I could stick my head through. I looked down in the direction that Sam and the other two had gone a while ago, making sure they weren't there. When I was sure it was clear, I waved a hand behind me.

"Okay, let's go."

Together we walked down the sidewalk, each on the look out for Sam or his minions. We didn't see any of them. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to have some fun. When we exited the small cluster of buildings and once again walked down the dirt road that would lead us to Jacob's house, I stopped suddenly and gasped.

"They're behind us!"

Jacob stopped walking mid-step and turned to look behind him, a worried look on his face. I smiled widely before chuckling and running down road. "Don't let them catch you!" I yelled behind me. Jacob was a lot faster than me so he caught up quickly but didn't run to far ahead. By now he was laughing as well and together we ran all the way back to his house, neither of us noticing the three sets of large eyes that followed us from the shelter of the forest.

* * *

Authors Note:: Posting this on my lunch break so sorry if there are some mistakes. I'll hopefully go back and proofread when I get home later today. I'm really excited for this because it's the last chapter for Heat of Summer which means we can finally move on to New Moon! Whoo! The first chapter for that will be posted on Monday so be on the lookout for that. I'd love to hear from you guys so let me know what you think in a message or review. Thanks for reading!


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